Endorsing a product purchased offline

ABSTRACT

An endorsement application can allow a user to endorse a product on a social network website when the product is purchased at a physical merchant point of sale terminal. Users of social network websites have been given the opportunity to endorse products that they have located or purchased online, but purchasers of products in person have not had that opportunity. The endorsement application can operate on a user&#39;s mobile device and can recognize a product purchased through near field or other communication using the mobile device. The application can isolate the product identification and product marketing data supplied by the point of sale terminal or other source and offer the user the opportunity to endorse the product on a social network website. If the user endorses the product, the application sends the endorsement to the user&#39;s account on the social network website for display to the user&#39;s community.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/282,661, filed May 20, 2014, and entitled“Endorsing A Product Purchased Offline,” which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/402,853, filed Feb. 22, 2012, andentitled “Endorsing A Product Purchased Offline,” now U.S. Pat. No.8,756,168. The complete disclosure of the above-identified priorityapplications is hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This present disclosure relates generally to social networking websitemarketing, and more particularly to a method for using social networkingwebsites to endorse a product that is purchased offline, for example,via a Near Field Communication (“NFC”) transaction.

BACKGROUND

Social Networking Websites (“SNW”) have been increasingly popular sincethe advent of the Internet. Most SNW products are web based and allowusers to interact over the Internet with others who share a commoninterest. The SNW can allow a user or a group of users to develop a webpage that represents themselves to other users, such as a profile. Theprofile page is typically populated with information about the user ofinterest to the readers of a particular SNW. The information can includehobbies, interests, career highlights, social interactions, and otherdetails relevant to the community on that particular SNW.

More recently, one profile component that is becoming common acrossSNW's is the endorsement feature. The endorsement feature allows a userto endorse a product, service, website, news article, blog, business,organization, or any other item or entity (collectively referred to as a“product”). The SNW can allow a user on the Internet to endorse aproduct that he or she would like to share with, and recommend to, hisSNW community. The endorsement can display information on the user'sprofile page about the product, including a link to a website, picturesof a product, and marketing information about a product. The endorsementcan allow the user to express his recommendation of a product andadditionally allow marketing information about a product to becommunicated to all of the user's SNW community.

The online websites of many products have virtual buttons displayed onthe website to allow a user to endorse their product. The button can beprogrammed to initiate an endorsement to be sent to a particular SNW.When actuated, the button will transmit the endorsement and any relatedmarketing information or other product metadata to the profile of theuser. Additionally, the website will increment a counter displayed onthe website to show the number of endorsements received for the product.Examples of a virtual endorsement feature include the “Like” button onFACEBOOK and the “+1” button on GOOGLE+. In further examples, websitecontrols can allow a user to “like” or “dislike” a product, select “Plus1” to indicate a favorable view of the product, “share” a webpage (orproduct or other information on a webpage or other electronic document),or “tweet” a favorable or unfavorable view of the product.

The current limitation of the endorsement technology is that theendorsement buttons have primarily been limited to websites or otherlocations on the Internet accessible by the user's online browsing. If auser chooses to endorse a physical product and share it with hiscommunity, the user would have to find a webpage for that product andhope an endorsement feature is located on the page. A common target foruser endorsements occurs when a user purchases a product. A user canoften want to share his selection and information about the purchase onhis profile page. With an online purchase, sharing and recommending aproduct is as simple as actuating the endorsement feature.Unfortunately, the popular endorsement feature is not available whenproducts are purchased at a physical merchant location.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present invention provides a computer-implementedmethod for endorsing a product purchased through a Near FieldCommunication (“NFC”) or other offline transaction. An EndorsementApplication (“EA”) transmits the user's endorsement of a purchasedproduct to a Social Network Website (“SNW”) employed by a user. When auser purchases a product via NFC, the merchant Point Of Sale (“POS”)terminal communicates with the user's device to complete thetransaction. When the user makes a purchase, the EA can recognize thepurchase and offer the user an option to endorse one or more of thepurchased products. If the user chooses to endorse the product, the usercan actuate the endorsement feature, and the EA can submit theendorsement to a profile page of the user located on an SNW. The EA cantransmit the product metadata to the SNW profile page for display. Theproduct metadata can be provided to the POS terminal by a ProductMarketing System (“PMS”) of the product that is purchased. If thequantity of product metadata becomes cumbersome for the POS terminal toquickly transmit, the EA can recognize that product metadata is notavailable from the POS terminal and can alternatively communicatedirectly with the PMS to obtain the product metadata.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a computer programproduct for endorsing a product obtained through an NFC or other offlinetransaction. The computer program product includes a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage device having computer-readable programinstructions embodied thereon. The computer-readable programinstructions include computer program instructions for transmitting theuser's endorsement of a purchased product to a Social Network Website(“SNW”) employed by a user, by communicating, between the POS terminaland the user's device to complete the transaction; communicating anoption to the user to endorse the product purchased by the mobiledevice; submitting the endorsement to a profile page of the user locatedon a SNW when the endorsement feature is actuated; and transmitting theproduct metadata to the SNW profile page for display.

Another aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus forendorsing a product purchased through an NFC or other offlinetransaction. The apparatus includes a web browser application with an EAlogically coupled to the web browser application. The EA is configuredfor transmitting the user's endorsement of a purchased product to theuser's Social Network Website (“SNW”) by recognizing a completedtransaction; offering an option to the user to endorse the productpurchased by the mobile device; submitting the endorsement to a profilepage of the user located on a SNW when the endorsement feature isactuated; and transmitting the product metadata to the SNW profile pagefor display.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting an operating environment of ansystem for endorsing a product purchased in an offline transaction, inaccordance with certain exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block flow diagram depicting a method for endorsing aproduct purchased in an offline transaction, in accordance with certainexemplary embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block flow diagram depicting a method for endorsing aproduct purchased in an offline transaction, according to an alternativeexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block flow diagram depicting a method for endorsing aproduct purchased in an offline transaction, wherein the product data isstored in the mobile device for later endorsement, in accordance withcertain exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a block flow diagram depicting a method for endorsing aproduct purchased in an offline transaction, wherein the product data isstored in the mobile device for later endorsement according to analternate exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Overview

The exemplary embodiments provide an Endorsement Application (“EA”) thatcan allow a user to endorse one or more products purchased via NearField Communication (“NFC”) with a mobile device. Users can share asignificant purchase or a great deal with those in the user's onlinecommunity. A user can share the product by actuating an endorsementfeature on his mobile device to recommend the product on his profilepage on a Social Networking Website (“SNW”). The EA can be installed onthe user's device and the Point Of Sale (“POS”) terminal at a merchantthat provides the transaction. The EA can provide a user interface forentering configuration information. The user can input into the EA oneor more of the SNWs that the user employs. To complete a purchase at amerchant location, the mobile device can communicate with the POSterminal via NFC technology or other applicable technologies (forexample, a Wi-Fi, BLUETOOTH, infrared, or other suitable communicationtechnology). The EA can recognize that the user device is making an NFCpurchase and monitor the transaction and search for productidentification to be used for endorsement. When the product isidentified, the EA can gather the product details from the POS terminal.The POS terminal can supply the product details and can further supplyproduct metadata to the EA. The product metadata can comprise ofpictures of the product, links to the product website, coupons, or othermarketing collateral that can enhance the popularity of the product.

The EA can provide the user with an endorsement feature that will allowthe user to actuate the feature or ignore it. The feature can give theoption to endorse the product on one or more SNWs. When the user choosesto endorse a product, the EA can then transmit the product metadata ofthe endorsed product to the SNW for displaying on the user's profile onthe SNW and on the news feed or streams of the connections of the user.In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the EA can communicatewith the Product Marketing System (“PMS”) of the product to solicitproduct marketing information. The PMS can supply the marketinginformation to the EA for transmission to the SNW or can transmit itdirectly to the SNW.

In an alternative exemplary embodiment of the invention, the EA cangather the product identification and product metadata and store it forlater use. That is, when a user makes an NFC purchase, the EA willgather the specific product identification and store it in a file on theuser device for later user review. The user can then review a list ofrecent purchases and determine whether to endorse one or more of theproducts. At the time of purchase, the POS can transmit the productmetadata to the EA. The EA can then transmit that data to the SNW whenthe user endorses the product. Alternatively, at the time of purchase,the POS can only transmit product identification data to the EA. The EAcan then communicate with the Product Marketing System (“PMS”) of theproduct to solicit product metadata. The PMS can supply the productmetadata to the EA for transmission to the SNW or can transmit itdirectly to the SNW.

The EA can be embodied as a stand-alone application program or as acompanion program to a web browser, for example, as a companion programto a Hypertext Markup Language revision 5 (“HTML5”) compliant webbrowser or other type of web browser having messaging and storagecapabilities. While certain embodiments are described in which parts ofthe EA are implemented in software, it will be appreciated that one ormore acts or functions of the EA can be performed by hardware, software,or a combination thereof, as can be embodied in one or more computingsystems.

The inventive functionality of the invention will be explained in moredetail in the following description, read in conjunction with thefigures illustrating the program flow.

Turning now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent like (butnot necessarily identical) elements throughout the figures, exemplaryembodiments of the present invention are described in detail.

System Architecture

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting an operating environment 100 forendorsing a product when purchasing the product offline with a mobiledevice, in accordance with certain exemplary embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 1, the exemplary operating environment 100 includesone or more merchant systems 130, one or more Product Marketing Systems(“PMS”) 150, one or more social network systems 160, and one or moreuser network devices 110 each associated with a respective user 101.

Each merchant system 130, PMS 150, social network system 160, and userdevice 110 includes a network device configured to communicate via adistributed network 105. For example, each merchant system 130, PMS 150,social network system 160, and user device 110 can include a server,desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, smartphone, handheldcomputer, personal digital assistant (“PDA”), or any other wired orwireless, processor-driven device.

The network 105 includes a wired or wireless telecommunication system ordevice by which network devices (including devices 130, 150, 160, and110) can exchange data. For example, the network 105 can include a localarea network (“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), an intranet, anInternet, storage area network (SAN), personal area network (PAN), ametropolitan area network (MAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), avirtual private network (VPN), a cellular or other mobile communicationnetwork, Bluetooth, near field communication, or any combination thereofor any other appropriate architecture or system that facilitates thecommunication of signals, data, and/or messages. Throughout thediscussion of exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that theterms “data” and “information” are used interchangeably herein to referto text, images, audio, video, or any other form of information that canexist in a computer based environment.

The user device 110 can be a mobile device, (for example, notebookcomputer, tablet computer, netbook computer, personal digital assistant(PDA), video game device, GPS locator device, cellular telephone,smartphone, or other mobile device), or other appropriate technology Theuser device 110 can include or can be coupled to a web browserapplication module 112 or other suitable application, such as a digitalwallet application 111 an endorsement application 115.

The user 101 can use the web browser application 112 or otherapplication to view, download, upload, or otherwise access documents orweb pages via the distributed network 105.

The web browser application 112 or other application can interact withweb servers (or other computing devices) connected to the network 105,such as web server 131 of the merchant system 130, web server 151 of thePMS 150, and the web server 161 of the social network system 160.

The user device 110 includes a digital wallet application module 111.The digital wallet 111 can encompass any application, hardware,software, or process the user device 110 can employ to assist the deviceto complete a purchase transaction, such as an online transaction, or anoffline transaction at a point of sale terminal 132 of the merchantsystem 130. For example, the digital wallet 111 can communicationtransaction information between the POS terminal 132 via a communicationmodule 114. The digital wallet 111 can interact with the web browserapplication 112 or can be embodied as a companion application of the webbrowser application 112. As a companion application, the digital wallet111 executes within the web browser application 112. That is, thedigital wallet 111 can be an application program embedded in the webbrowser application 112.

The user device 110 includes the endorsement application (“EA”) 115. TheEA 115 can interact with the web browser application 112 or be embodiedas a companion application of the web browser application 112 andexecute within the web browser application 112. The EA 115 can furtherbe embodied as a companion application of the digital wallet 111 andexecute within the digital wallet 111. The EA 115 can employ a softwareinterface that can open in the digital wallet application 111 or canopen in the web browser application 112. The interface can allow theuser 101 to select the SNW 163 account or accounts to which the EA 115will be transmitting an endorsement.

The EA 115 stored in the digital wallet 111 can be used to send productendorsement information to the SNW 163. Each SNW 163 (operating on theweb server 161) that the user can belong to and utilize can include aset of computer-readable program instructions, for example, usingJavaScript, that enable the SNW 163 to interact with the EA 115 toreceive the endorsement information.

The user device 110 includes a data storage unit 113 accessible by thedigital wallet 111, the web browser application 112, and otherapplications. The exemplary data storage unit 113 can include one ormore tangible computer-readable media. The data storage unit 113 can bestored on the user device 110 or can be logically coupled to the userdevice 110. For example, the data storage unit 113 can include on-boardflash memory and/or one or more removable memory cards or removableflash memory.

The user device 110 includes an NFC communication module 114 that can beaccessible by the EA 115, the digital wallet 111, and the web browserapplication 112. The NFC module 114 can be utilized at the environmentof a physical merchant 130 when a user 101 indicates a desire topurchase one or more products. As used throughout the specification, theterm “products” should be interpreted to include tangible and intangibleproducts, as well as services. After the user 101 has indicated a desireto purchase the product(s), the merchant system 130 can present a userinterface in the form of a POS terminal 132 to receive paymentinformation from the user 101. The NFC communication module 114 caninteract with the POS terminal 132 within the merchant environment 130to allow the user device 115 to complete the sale.

Although described as an NFC communication module 114 in the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 1, the communication module 114 can employ anysuitable communication technologies to communicate with the POS terminal132. Technologies available for communication can include, but are notlimited to, NFC, BLUETOOTH, Wi-Fi, infrared, or other suitablecommunication technology. The NFC communication module 114 can encompassthe software and hardware capacity required for communicating in theselected manner with the POS terminal 132.

The merchant system 130 includes a payment processor 132 logicallycoupled to the web server 131. The payment processor 132 can receivepayment information via the POS terminal 132 and interact with afinancial institution to authorize payment information.

The social network system 160 utilizes a social network system server161. The social network server 161 can represent thecomputer-implemented system that the social network system 160 employsto host the SNW 163 and all of the profiles and communities that use theSNW 163. The SNW 163 can represent any web-based community that allowsusers to interact over the Internet with others who typically share acommon interest. Examples of the SNWs 163 that the user 101 can belongto or interact with include, but are not limited to, FACEBOOK, GOOGLE+,LINKEDIN, and TWITTER. The SNW 163 can allow a user or a group todevelop a web page that represents themselves to other users, such as aprofile. A user 101 typically populates his profile page withinformation about themselves that would be of interest to the readers ofa particular SNW 163. The information might include hobbies, interests,personal interactions, employment updates, or other details that mightbe relevant to the community using that particular SNW 163. The SNW 163can employ an endorsement feature that can allow a user to endorse aproduct service, website, news article, blog, business, organization, orany other item or entity (collectively referred to as a “product”). TheSNW 163 can allow a user that is using the Internet to endorse a productthat he or she would like to share with and recommend to his SNWcommunity. The social network system server 161 can communicate with aPMS 150, merchants 130, and user devices 110 via any suitabletechnologies. These technologies include, but are limited to, anInternet connection via the network 105, email, text, instant messaging,or other suitable communication technologies. The social network system160 includes a data storage unit 162 accessible by the server 161 of thesocial network system 160. The data storage unit 162 can include one ormore tangible computer-readable storage devices.

The PMS 150 can transmit product marketing data and other productmetadata to the POS terminal 132, the EA 115, or directly to the SNW163. The PMS 150 can employ a web server 151. The PMS server 151 canrepresent the computer implemented system that the PMS 150 employs tohost the PMS website 153. The PMS website 153 can supply productmetadata for the SNW 162 to use when displaying an endorsement on auser's 101 profile page on the SNW 162. The product metadata supplied bythe PMS website 153 can include pictures, website addresses, videos,coupons, or other informational or advertising data. The PMS 150includes a data storage unit 152 accessible by the server 151 of the PMS150. The data storage unit 152 can include one or more tangiblecomputer-readable storage devices.

It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplaryand other means of establishing a communications link between thecomputers and devices can be used. Additionally, those having ordinaryskill in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure willappreciate that the merchant system 130, PMS 150, social network system160, and the user device 110 illustrated in FIG. 1 can have any ofseveral other suitable computer system configurations. For example, auser device 110 embodied as a mobile phone or handheld computer may notinclude all the components described above or may include additionalcomponents.

System Process

The components of the exemplary operating environment 100 are describedhereinafter with reference to the exemplary methods illustrated in FIGS.2-5.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart depicting a method 200 for endorsing one or moreproducts when purchasing the product offline with a mobile device, inaccordance with certain exemplary embodiments. With reference to FIGS. 1and 2, in block 205, the Product Marketing System (“PMS”) 150 caninstall computer-readable program instructions on the PMS server 151 forinteracting with the Endorsement Application (“EA”) 115 on the userdevice 110. Further, the social network system 160 installscomputer-readable program instructions on the social network systemserver 161 for interacting with the EA 115 on the user device 110. In anexemplary embodiment, these computer-readable program instructions canbe implemented as an embedded script, such as JavaScript, in the PMSserver 151 and the social network system server 161. The instructionsinstalled on the PMS server 151 can allow the PMS server 151 torecognize a request from an EA 115 for product metadata to betransmitted to the EA 115 or transmitted directly to the Social NetworkWebsite (“SNW”) 163. The instructions on the social network systemserver 161 can allow the SNW 163 to recognize and utilize an endorsementbeing sent by the EA 115 and, additionally or alternatively, productmetadata being sent by the PMS 150.

In block 210, the user 101 installs an EA 115 on the user device 110. Incertain exemplary embodiments, the user 101 can navigate to a website ofa provider of the EA 115 and download and install the EA 115. Thewebsite that provides the EA 115 can be the SNW 163 to which the user101 belongs. The EA 115 can be embedded in a digital wallet 112 on auser device 110. The user 101 can utilize a user interface of the EA 115to assign an SNW 163 to which the endorsement is to be sent. As each SNW163 can employ a different endorsement feature, the EA 115 can allow theuser 101 to select the endorsement feature that corresponds to theuser's preferred SNW 163. Examples of these endorsement features mightinclude the “Like” button on FACEBOOK and the “+1” button on GOOGLE+.

In block 215, the merchant system 130 installs computer-readable programinstructions on the Point Of Sale (“POS”) terminal 132 to instruct thePOS 132 terminal to communicate with the EA 115. The POS terminal 132can be configured to recognize requests from the EA 115 to submitproduct metadata to the EA 115. The POS terminal 132 can further beconfigured to identify the purchased product via similar methodsemployed by the merchant for pricing and billing. For example, the POSterminal 132 can identify a product by the barcode supplied by themanufacturer of the product, the tag number supplied by the merchant,selected from a list by the merchant operating the POS terminal 132, orany other method utilized to identify a product. The POS terminal 132can install and store product metadata from the Product Marketing System150.

In block 220, the user 101 navigates to the SNW 163 using the webbrowser application 112 and communicates with the computer-readableprogram instructions on the SNW 163. The user 101 can configure hisaccount to accept endorsements from the EA 115. The EA 115 canadditionally install or update the endorsement feature to be displayedon the mobile device to remain consistent with the online endorsementfeatures.

In block 225, the user 101 visits the location of the merchant 130 andselects one or more products to purchase. The merchant 130 location canbe a physical store or marketplace. The user 101 further indicates adesire to purchase one or more products. For example, the user 101 canselect a product or products of the merchant 130 and take the product(s)to the POS terminal 132 for checkout.

In block 230, the merchant 130 inputs the purchase details into the POSterminal 132. The purchase details can include the purchase price of theproducts, the applicable taxes, the total charges, or other relevanttransaction data. The POS terminal awaits payment information from theuser 101.

In block 235, the user 101 can employ the user device 110 to interactwith the POS terminal 132 via NFC to supply payment information. Oneskilled in the art would recognize that other suitable communicationtechnologies, in addition to or in connection with NFC communication,can be used by the communication module 114 on the user device 110 tocommunicate to the POS terminal 132. Technologies available forcommunication can include, but are not limited to, NFC, BLUETOOTH,Wi-Fi, infrared, or other suitable communication technology. The NFCcommunication with the POS terminal 132, can be initiated by the user101 in any manner accepted by the user device 110. The accepted mannerof initiation can include actuating a physical or virtual button, aswipe or “tap” of the device, a voice command, or other suitable input.

In block 237, the EA 115 requests additional product identification andproduct metadata from the POS terminal 132. The EA 115 can use the sametechnology employed by the user device 110 to make the transaction or itcan use an alternate technology to communicate the request with the POSterminal 132. Other technologies for the communication can include, butare not limited to, NFC, BLUETOOTH, Wi-Fi, infrared, or other suitablecommunication technology. Additionally, in block 250, the POS terminal132 can transmit product identification and product metadata to the EA115 on the user device 110. In certain embodiments, the POS terminal 132can supply the EA 115 with instructions to gather the product metadatafrom a website or other online location of the PMS server 151. The EA115 may store the product metadata on the user device 110, in thedigital wallet 111 account, on the user account on the SNW 163, or onany other device or server accessible by the user device 110.

In block 240, the EA 115 on the user device 110 recognizes that the userdevice 110 has been used to make a purchase and can offer the user 101an opportunity to endorse the product on the SNW 163 of the user 101.The EA 115 can scan the transaction details for the identity of one ormore of the purchased products. The EA 115 can additionally oralternatively query the POS terminal 132 for product metadata. Afteridentifying a product, the EA 115 presents the identification of theproduct to the user 101 with an opportunity to endorse the product.

In block 245, if the user 101 chooses to endorse the identified product,the method 200 follows the “YES” branch to block 255. Otherwise, themethod 200 follows the “NO” branch and the method 200 ends.

Following the “YES” branch of block 245 to block 255, the EA 115transmits a product endorsement to the SNW 163. With the endorsement,the EA 115 can transmit the product identification and the productmetadata to the SNW 163. The transmission can be made via any availabletechnology including, but not limited to, an Internet connection via thenetwork 105, text, email, or a cellular connection.

In block 260, the SNW 163 displays the endorsement of the product on theprofile page of the user 101. The SNW 163 may also display theendorsement on the streams or news feeds belonging to the connections ofthe user 101. The streams or news feeds of the connections displayupdates of the user 101, including endorsed products. Each SNW 163 candisplay endorsements in the preferred manner of that SNW 163. Theendorsement display by the SNW 163 can employ as much or as little ofthe transmitted information as the SNW 163 chooses. For example, an SNW163 can display the endorsement on the profile page of the user 101 andinclude any or all of the product metadata supplied by the EA 115 andthe PMS 150 including videos, games, coupons, or other suitablemarketing data. An SNW 163 can choose to only include a picture of theproduct or a link to the product's website or simply a list of endorsedproducts.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart depicting a method 300 for endorsing a productwhen purchasing the product offline with a mobile device, in accordancewith an alternative exemplary embodiment.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in block 205 of method 300, the PMS 150installs computer-readable program instructions on the PMS server 151for interacting with the EA 115 on the user device 110. Further, thesocial network system 160 can install computer-readable programinstructions on the social network system server 161 for interactingwith the EA 115 on the user device 110. In an exemplary embodiment,these computer-readable program instructions can be implemented as anembedded script, such as JavaScript, in the PMS server 151 and thesocial network system server 161. The instructions installed on the PMSserver 151 can allow the PMS server 151 to recognize a request from anEA 115 for product metadata to be transmitted to the EA 115 or directlyto the SNW 163. The instructions on the social network system server 161can allow the SNW 163 to recognize and utilize an endorsement being sentby the EA 115 and, additionally or alternatively, product metadata beingsent by the PMS 150.

In block 210, the user 101 installs an EA 115 on the user device 110. Incertain exemplary embodiments, the user 101 can navigate to a website ofa provider of the EA 115 and download and install the EA 115. Thewebsite that provides the EA 115 can be the SNW 163 to which the user101 belongs. The EA 115 can be embedded in a digital wallet 112 on auser device 110. The user 101 can utilize a user interface of the EA 115to assign an SNW 163 to which the endorsement is to be sent. As each SNW163 can employ a different endorsement feature, the EA 115 can allow theuser 101 to select the endorsement feature that corresponds to hispreferred SNW 163. Examples of these endorsement features might includethe “Like” button on FACEBOOK and the “+1” button on GOOGLE+.

In block 315, the merchant system 130 installs computer-readable programinstructions on the Point Of Sale (“POS”) terminal 132 to instruct thePOS 132 terminal to communicate with the EA 115. The POS terminal 132can be configured to recognize requests from the EA 115 to submitproduct identification to the EA 115. The POS terminal 132 canadditionally be configured to identify the purchased product via similarmethods employed by the merchant for pricing and billing. For example,the POS terminal 132 can identify a product by the barcode supplied bythe manufacturer of the product, the tag number supplied by themerchant, selected from a list by the merchant operating the POSterminal 132, or any other method utilized to identify products. Inmethod 200 of FIG. 2, the POS terminal 132 can install and store productmetadata from the PMS 150. In method 300, the POS terminal 132 insteadcan decline to install product metadata into the POS terminal 132 due toa variety of factors such as, but not limited to, inadequate datastorage space, security concerns, fast changing inventory, or otherfactors.

Method 300 has many similar elements to method 200. Block 220 throughblock 245 of method 300 are substantially similar to the like-numberedblocks 220 through 235 of method 200, referenced in FIG. 2 and describedabove.

Referring back to method 200 in FIG. 2, in block 237 the EA 115 canrequest product identification and product metadata from the POSterminal 132. The POS terminal 132 can transmit product identificationand product metadata to the EA 115 on the user device 110. In method 300of FIG. 3, in block 337, the EA 115 can make the request for the productidentification and the product metadata from the POS terminal 132;however, the POS terminal 132 instead transmits only the productinformation to the EA 115. In certain embodiments, the POS terminal 132can supply the EA 115 with instructions to gather the product metadatafrom a website or other online location of the PMS server 151.

Block 240 and block 245 of method 300 are substantially similar to thelike-numbered blocks 240 through 245 of method 200, referenced in FIG. 2and described above.

In method 300, following the “YES” branch of block 245 to block 355, theEA 115 can transmit an endorsement and product identification to the SNW163. With no product metadata available, the EA 115 can further transmitthe product identification to the PMS 150 to request product metadata besent to the SNW 163. The EA 115 may gather the online location of thePMS 150 from the barcode or other identifier of the product. In certainembodiments, the POS terminal 132 can supply the EA 115 withinstructions to gather the product metadata from a website or otheronline location of the PMS server 151. The transmissions between the EA115, the SNW 163, and the PMS 150 can be made via any availabletechnology including, but not limited to, an Internet connection via thenetwork 105, text, email, or a cellular connection.

Following the “NO” branch of block 245, the method 300 ends.

In block 360, the PMS 150 responds to the communication from the EA 115and supplies the SNW 163 and the EA 115 with product metadata.

In block 365, the SNW 163 displays the endorsement of the product on theprofile page of the user 101. Each SNW 163 can display endorsements inthe preferred manner of that SNW 163. The endorsement display by the SNW163 can employ as much or as little of the transmitted information asthe SNW 163 chooses. For example, an SNW 163 can display the endorsementon the profile page of the user 101 and include any or all of theproduct metadata supplied by the EA 115 and the PMS 150 includingvideos, games, coupons, or other suitable marketing data. An SNW 163 canchoose to only include a picture of the product or a link to theproduct's website or simply a list of endorsed products.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting a method 400 for storing productidentification and for endorsing a product when purchasing the productoffline with a mobile device, in accordance with certain exemplaryembodiments.

Method 400 has many similar elements to method 200. Block 205 throughblock 235 of method 300 are substantially similar to the like-numberedblocks 205 through 235 of method 200, referenced in FIG. 2 and describedabove.

Referring back to FIG. 2, in block 240 of method 200, the EA 115 on theuser device 110 recognizes that the user device 110 has been used tomake a purchase and offers the user 101 an opportunity to endorse theproduct on the SNW 163 of the user 101. In block 440 of method 400, theEA 115 can instead recognize that the user device 110 has been used tomake a purchase and store the product data and the product metadatasupplied by the POS terminal 132 on the user device 110 for laterreview. The user device 110 can store the data in the EA 115 or in anyother location on the user device 110 accessible by the EA 115.Alternatively, the EA 115 may store the product metadata on the useraccount on the SNW 163, on the digital wallet 111 account, or on anyother device or server accessible by the user device 110. In certainembodiments, the POS terminal 132 can supply the EA 115 withinstructions to gather the product metadata from a website or otheronline location of the PMS server 151.

In block 445, a user 101 can open the user interface system of the EA115 and browse a list of purchased products. The user 101 can maintainthe list integrity by limiting the number of items retained on the list,limiting the list to only items of a certain value, manually deletingitems, or other suitable guidelines to enable the list to be useful tothe user.

In block 450, the user 101 decides whether to endorse one or more itemsfrom the list of purchased items displayed by the EA 115. If the user101 chooses to endorse an identified product, the method 400 follows the“YES” branch to block 455. Otherwise, the method 400 follows the “NO”branch and the method 400 ends.

Following the “YES” branch of block 450 to block 455, the EA 115transmits a product endorsement to the SNW 163. With the endorsement,the EA 115 can transmit the product identification and the productmetadata to the SNW 163. The transmission can be made via any availabletechnology including, but not limited to, an Internet connection via thenetwork 105, text, email, or a cellular connection.

In block 460, the SNW 163 can display the endorsement of the product onthe profile page of the user 101. Each SNW 163 can display endorsementsin the preferred manner of that SNW 163. The endorsement display by theSNW 163 can employ as much or as little of the transmitted informationas the SNW 163 chooses. For example, an SNW 163 can display theendorsement on the profile page of the user 101 and include any or allof the product metadata supplied by the EA 115 and the PMS 150 includingvideos, games, coupons, or other suitable marketing data. Conversely, anSNW 163 can choose to limit the endorsement to as little as a picture ofthe product or a link to the product's website or simply a list ofendorsed products.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting a method 500 for storing productidentification and endorsing a product when purchasing a product via NFCwith a mobile device, in accordance with certain exemplary embodiments.

Method 500 has many similar elements to method 300. Block 205 throughblock 235 of method 500 are substantially similar to the like-numberedblocks 205 through 235 of method 300, referenced in FIG. 3 and describedabove.

In block 540 of method 500, the EA 115 recognizes that the user device110 has been used to make a purchase and stores the productidentification supplied by the POS terminal 132 on the user device 110for later review. The user device 110 can store the data in the EA 115or in any other location on the user device 110 accessible by the EA115. Alternatively, the EA 115 may store the data on the user account onthe SNW 163, in the digital wallet 111 account or on any other device orserver accessible by the user device 110. Additionally, the EA 115 canrecognize that the POS terminal 132 has no product metadata to supply.

In certain embodiments, the POS terminal 132 can supply the EA 115 withinstructions to gather the product metadata from a website or otheronline location of the PMS server 151. In an alternate embodiment, theEA 115 may gather the product information from the barcode or otherproduct identifier and determine the online location of the productmetadata from the product identifier.

In block 545, a user 101 opens the user interface system of the EA 115and browses a list of purchased products. The user 101 can maintain thelist integrity by limiting the number of items retained on the list,limiting the list to only items of a certain value, manually deletingitems, or other suitable guidelines to enable the list to be useful tothe user.

In block 550, the user 101 decides whether to endorse one or more itemsfrom the list of purchased items displayed by the EA 115. If the user101 chooses to endorse an identified product, the method 500 follows the“YES” branch to block 555. Otherwise, the method 500 follows the “NO”branch and the method 500 ends.

Following the “YES” branch of block 550 to block 555, the EA 115transmits an endorsement and product identification to the SNW 163. Withno product metadata available, the EA 115 can further transmit theproduct identification to the PMS 150 to request product metadata besent to the SNW 163. The transmissions between the EA 115, the SNW 163,and the PMS 150 can be made via any available technology including, butnot limited to, an Internet connection via the network 105, text, email,or a cellular connection.

In block 560, the PMS 150 responds to the communication from the EA 115and supplies the SNW 163 and the EA 115 with product metadata.

In block 565, the SNW 163 displays the endorsement of the product on theprofile page of the user 101. Each SNW 163 can display endorsements inthe preferred manner of that SNW 163. The endorsement display by the SNW163 can employ as much or as little of the transmitted information asthe SNW 163 chooses. For example, an SNW 163 can display the endorsementon the profile page of the user 101 and include any or all of theproduct metadata supplied by the EA 115 and the PMS 150 includingvideos, games, coupons, or other suitable marketing data. Conversely, anSNW 163 can choose to limit the endorsement to as little as a picture ofthe product or a link to the product's website or simply a list ofendorsed products.

GENERAL

Users can, in appropriate circumstances, limit or otherwise affect theoperation of the features disclosed in the specification. For example,users can be given an initial opportunity to opt-in or opt-out of thecollection or use of certain data or the activation of certain features.In addition, a user can change the manner in which the features areemployed, including for situations in which a user can have concernsregarding his privacy. Instructions can be provided to users to notifythe users regarding policies about the use of information, includingpersonally identifiable information and receipt information, and mannersin which the users can affect such use of information.

One or more aspects of the invention can comprise a computer programthat embodies the functions described and illustrated herein, whereinthe computer program is implemented in a computer system that comprisesinstructions stored in a machine-readable medium and a processor thatexecutes the instructions. However, it should be apparent that therecould be many different ways of implementing the invention in computerprogramming, and the invention should not be construed as limited to anyone set of computer program instructions. Further, a skilled programmerwould be able to write such a computer program to implement anembodiment of the disclosed invention based on the appended flow chartsand associated description in the application text. Therefore,disclosure of a particular set of program code instructions is notconsidered necessary for an adequate understanding of how to make anduse the invention. Further, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat one or more aspects of the invention described herein can beperformed by hardware, software, or a combination thereof, as can beembodied in one or more computing systems. Moreover, any reference to anact being performed by a computer should not be construed as beingperformed by a single computer as more than one computer can perform theact.

The exemplary embodiments described herein can be used with computerhardware and software that perform the methods and processing functionsdescribed previously. The systems, methods, and procedures describedherein can be embodied in a programmable computer, computer-executablesoftware, or digital circuitry. The software can be stored oncomputer-readable media. For example, computer-readable media caninclude a floppy disk, RAM, ROM, hard disk, removable media, flashmemory, memory stick, optical media, magneto-optical media, CD-ROM, etc.Digital circuitry can include integrated circuits, gate arrays, buildingblock logic, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), etc.

The exemplary methods and acts described in the embodiments presentedpreviously are illustrative, and, in alternative embodiments, certainacts can be performed in a different order, in parallel with oneanother, omitted entirely, and/or combined between different exemplaryembodiments, and/or certain additional acts can be performed, withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, suchalternative embodiments are included in the inventions described herein.

Although specific embodiments have been described above in detail, thedescription is merely for purposes of illustration. It should beappreciated, therefore, that many aspects described above are notintended as required or essential elements unless explicitly statedotherwise. Modifications of, and equivalent acts corresponding to, thedisclosed aspects of the exemplary embodiments, in addition to thosedescribed above, can be made by a person of ordinary skill in the art,having the benefit of the present disclosure, without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention defined in the following claims, thescope of which is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass such modifications and equivalent structures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method to create onlineendorsements for offline product purchases, comprising: receiving, by anendorsement application on a computing device, product identification,the product identification being associated with a product purchased ina purchase transaction at a point of sale system at a physical locationof a merchant, the product identification being received from the pointof sale system; receiving, by the endorsement application on thecomputing device, product metadata associated with the productidentification, the product metadata being received from at least one ofthe point of sale system or a product marketing system; communicating,by the endorsement application on the computing device, a request to auser via a user interface of the computing device to endorse the producton an electronic social network in response to receiving the productidentification; receiving, by the endorsement application on thecomputing device, an indication from the user via the user interface toendorse the product; and communicating, by the endorsement applicationon the computing device, the product identification and the productmetadata to the electronic social network with instructions to displayan endorsement of the product on a user profile associated with the useron the electronic social network in response to receiving the indicationto endorse the product.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the productidentification and the product metadata are received during the purchasetransaction, and wherein the request is communicated to the user via theuser interface during the purchase transaction.
 3. The method of claim1, wherein the request is communicated to the user via the userinterface after the purchase transaction.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising storing the product identification and the productmetadata, wherein communicating the request to the user via the userinterface comprises presenting on the user interface a list of productspurchased previously, including the product, for selection forendorsement.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying theproduct marketing system corresponding to the product that the producthas been endorsed upon receiving the indication to endorse the product.6. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving additionalproduct marketing information for the product from the product marketingsystem upon receiving the indication to endorse the product.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the computing device conducts the purchasetransaction via near field communication with the point of sale system.8. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device conducts thepurchase transaction via a Bluetooth communication with the point ofsale system.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is amobile phone.
 10. A computer program product, comprising: anon-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executableprogram code embodied thereon that when executed by a computer cause thecomputer to create online endorsements for offline product purchases,the computer-executable program code comprising program code to: receiveproduct identification, the product identification being associated witha product purchased in a purchase transaction conducted at a point ofsale system at a physical location of a merchant, the productidentification being received from the point of sale system; receiveproduct metadata associated with the product identification, the productmetadata being received from at least one of the point of sale system ora product marketing system; communicate a request to a user via a userinterface associated with the computer to endorse the product on anelectronic social network in response to receiving the productidentification; receive an indication from the user via the userinterface to endorse the product; and communicate the productidentification and the product metadata to the electronic social networkwith instructions to display an endorsement of the product on a userprofile associated with the user on the electronic social network inresponse to receiving the indication to endorse the product.
 11. Thecomputer program product of claim 10, wherein the product identificationand the product metadata are received from the point of sale system. 12.The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the productidentification and the product metadata are received during the purchasetransaction, and wherein the request to endorse the product iscommunicated to the user via the user interface during the purchasetransaction.
 13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein therequest to endorse the product is communicated to the user via the userinterface after the purchase transaction.
 14. The computer programproduct of claim 10, wherein communicating the request to the user viathe user interface comprises presenting an endorsement feature via theuser interface for the user to interact with to request endorsement ofthe product on the electronic social network.
 15. The computer programproduct of claim 10, wherein the computer-executable program codefurther comprises program code to: store the product identification; andpresent, on the user interface, a list of products purchased previously,including the product, for selection for endorsement.
 16. The computerprogram product of claim 10, wherein the computer-executable programcode further comprises program code to notify the product marketingsystem corresponding to the product that the product has been endorsed.17. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein thecomputer-executable program code further comprises program code toreceive the product metadata for the product from the product marketingsystem.
 18. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein thepurchase transaction comprises a near field communication with the pointof sale system or a Bluetooth communication with the point of salesystem.
 19. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein thecomputer-executable program code further comprises program code toreceive the product metadata from the point of sale system.
 20. A systemto create online endorsements for offline product purchases, comprising:an application configured to execute on a computer to: receive productidentification, the product identification being associated with aproduct purchased in a transaction conducted at a point of sale systemat a physical location of a merchant, the product identification beingreceived from the point of sale system; receive product metadataassociated with the product identification, the product metadata beingreceived from at least one of the point of sale system or a productmarketing system communicate a request to a user via a user interface ofthe computer to endorse the product on an electronic social network inresponse to receiving the product identification; receive an indicationfrom the user via the user interface to endorse the product on theelectronic social network; and communicate the product identificationand the product metadata to the electronic social network withinstructions to display an endorsement of the product on a user profileassociated with the user on the electronic social network in response toreceiving the indication to endorse the product.